BY SEAN EGAN | “You kind of plan everything,” says Marina Person, a Brazilian writer/director, on independent filmmaking. “But a lot of unpredicted things happen as well, and you have two ways of dealing with it. One: to get desperate and cry in the sidewalk, saying ‘I’m not gonna make it because we’re not gonna […]

Under the watchful eye of festival co-founder Robert De Niro, comedy and music icons walked the Beacon Theatre’s red carpet prior to the world premiere of the Saturday Night Live documentary “Live From New York!” Tickets to April 15’s Tribeca Film Festival 2015 Opening Night Gala were in short supply. Comped, we presume, were these […]

BY SEAN EGAN | Making a science fiction film — well, a really good science fiction film — is not easy, and doesn’t happen often. It requires the creation of a new world with new rules, the burden of spectacle, and bringing engaging characters and an exciting plot to life. The best sci-fi flicks make […]

BY RANIA RICHARDSON | The Angulos, a large, good-looking family living in extreme conditions, would certainly make for entertaining reality TV. One is left with so many questions after viewing “The Wolfpack,” it’s hard to believe that no broadcaster is considering this. How can we see more? How can we know more about this odd […]

BY SEAN EGAN | An open secret, well-known amongst aficionados, the kayfabe nature of professional wrestling is integral to its appeal. As a pre-planned, written and rehearsed spectacle, it’s quite unlike anything else out there — mixing convoluted soapy plots, over-the-top characters and the raw (pun intended) appeal of the heightened levels of athletic prowess […]

BY DUSICA SUE MALESEVIC | The need to find love, might one dare say, is universal. “A Courtship” delves deep into that need. Debut director Amy Kohn was researching arranged marriages for a reality show when she stumbled over Christian courtship — the idea that one’s father vets potential mates before you even meet and […]

BY PUMA PERL | “King Jack,” the debut of writer and director Felix Thompson, takes place in the sort of depressed, rural town that nobody escapes. Everybody drinks, everybody smokes, few families are intact, and there is nothing to do. People barge into one another’s houses and lives. Violence is prevalent, even expected. The lives […]

“GRANDMA” Take the well-traveled but reliable road trip formula, place Lily Tomlin behind the wheel of a vintage Dodge, put Paul Weitz in the director’s chair and charge him with helping his own screenplay. That’s reason enough for us to place this comedy-drama at the top of our sight unseen, must-see list. Tomlin — who excels […]

THE WOLFPACK Synopsis: Everything the Angulo brothers know about the outside world they learned from obsessively watching movies. Shut away from bustling New York City by their overprotective father, they cope with their isolation by diligently re-enacting their favorite films. When one of the brothers escapes, the world as they know it will be transformed. […]

BY SCOTT STIFFLER | A satisfying mix of documentary-style interviews, contemporary scenes, childhood flashbacks and music by local artists, this St. Louis-set film is as sharp and compelling as its two-color palette. Writer, producer, editor and director Michael J. Larnell juggles a multitude of obligations with far more success than his onscreen alter egos…or so […]